


Now You're In the World

by aeriamamaduck



Series: Cyrodiil's Child [30]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Meet-Cute, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minerva and Guy wander the wilds of Skyrim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now You're In the World

**4E17**

They were right when they said traveling near dusk was a huge risk.

Minerva breathed with tension, the animal scent of wolves assailing her nostrils as she looked at them from behind her shield. Guy shuddered behind her and her heart thundered with fear for him.

 _I must not show my fear,_ she thought. _He’ll panic. Please, my son, keep your wits._

One of the four wolves growled viciously as it leapt towards them, and suddenly Gaius swung his sword. The blow threw the wolf aside, its blood splattering the boy’s face. It was dead.

Minerva sunk her blade into the wolf that jumped at her, a whimper escaping its snapping jaws as she pulled the sword out of its twitching body. Something heavy hit her side, loud growls resounding in her ears as she thought that she couldn’t possibly escape this uninjured.

_“Mother!”_

She hit the ground, shutting her eyes against whatever pain came. Moments passed and nothing happened, save for Guy's frantic breaths above her. Minerva opened her eyes and saw the wolf lying dead beside her, an arrow sticking out of its neck. She sat up, seeing all four wolves dead, and looked at her son. His face was covered in blood and his eyes were wide with shock. He was breathing hard, and Minerva realized with a pang that the wolf was his first kill.

“By Akatosh’s scaly hide, that was close!”

The voice boomed from within the trees, and Minerva was on her feet beside Gaius within seconds, holding her sword in front of her. He did the same, edging in front of her as if to shield her.

The bushes around them rustled noisily, and what emerged from the darkness was a single hand, massive and a mossy green color, held open as though in surrender. “Peace, friends! My companions and I mean you no harm!”

An Orc emerged from the foliage, tall and broad as a tree, but with a face as open and friendly as anything. Minerva spun when another shape appeared to her right, an Altmer archer who was deftly sheathing his bow behind his back.

Minerva did not relax, although she noticed that her son did. “What are you, hm? Bandits? Highwaymen?”

The archer replied in a pacifying tone, “Neither, lady. Merely a pair of warriors keeping a lookout on this lonely road.”

“Please, allow me to explain,” the Orc said, both hands up. “I am Erug go-Shen, chieftain of the Tribe of the Rift. This here’s my second, Canwe.”

Minerva lowered her sword a few inches, looking at the Orc in surprise. “…Half the people of Riften think you and your band a legend.”

Erug go-Shen’s massive chest shook with laughter. “A legend, huh? Exhilarating. Bah, those snowberries make anything outside the city walls sound like a legend. I’m just a humble leader of a band of warriors who are too good to be mere mercenaries, and who didn’t really fancy life in a stronghold. Now, who might you two be?”   

Giving Guy a sidelong glance—and grinning when she saw how round his eyes looked—Minerva answered carefully, “I am Minerva Saturnius, and this is my son, Martin Gaius Septa.”

As she predicted, the Orc and Altmer gasped in shock, and Canwe said with awe, “The Champion of Cyrodiil? Here, of all places?”

Erug go-Shen nodded thoughtfully. “This is indeed a surprise…What brings you to this corner of Skyrim, my lady?”

“We journey to Winterhold, and thought we might reach Ivarstead before night fell. As you can see, we were sadly mistaken.”

The chieftain made a noise of assent. “In that case, then I offer you the warmth of our fires and longhouses. It would be an honor for my tribe to host you and your boy, Lady Champion, and you may stay as long as you want.”

Minerva thought about it. True, she and Guy were still exhausted from their journey across the mountains, and Riften proved to be quite the unsavory place to stay. Hopefully this tribe had a good blacksmith, for her sword needed a bit of work. “I accept your invitation, Erug go-Shen, and hope the Nine reward you for your generosity.”

Canwe cleared his throat and nudged Erug. “You may want to look up.”

The Orc did so, and a smirk crossed his face. “Inga, you sneaky thing! Come down from there!”

Guy leapt in surprise when a shape landed heavily beside Erug beneath the trees, straightening to reveal a tall, thick-limbed girl with golden hair that streamed down to her lower back. She had a wide mouth, a small pointed nose, and round blue eyes. She wore…an assortment of hide and chunks of metal that didn’t seem to look like armor, but Minerva knew it was a type of ancient Nord armor that only the most skilled smiths could craft.

Erug laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder and proudly declared, “My daughter, Inga.”

 _Ah, that explains the muscles._ Minerva smiled at the girl, who bowed her head respectfully and said in a shockingly melodic voice, “It’s an honor to meet the Champion of Cyrodiil…and her son.”

Minerva glanced at Gaius again, and found him staring at Inga unabashedly, a red flush spreading across his face. She elbowed him lightly and said to the girl, “I didn’t even notice you up there. That’s some brilliant sneaking you did.”

Inga’s face brightened at the praise and Minerva heard her son inhale sharply. _Oh, dear. He’s at that age already?_


End file.
